YSR Congress president Jaganmohan Reddy on Saturday urged leaders of the Trinamool Congress, the AIADMK and the Biju Janata Dal not to see the process of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh as an isolated case and ensure that the Telangana Bill is stalled in Parliament.
The Congress was bent on dividing the State for the sake of “votes and seats.” By maintaining silence on developments in A.P., they would give scope to the Congress for division of West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Punjab since it was votes alone that mattered for the ruling party.
Asserting that his party would win 30 Lok Sabha seats in the coming elections, Mr. Jagan declared that his party would support a government that was committed for united A.P. “We will emerge as a force that can have its say in national politics,” he said, addressing a public meeting at the Lal Bahadur stadium in support of united State here on Saturday against the backdrop of Centre fast-tracking the bifurcation process.
His statement assumes significance as it runs contrary to criticism by the Telugu Desam and others that his party would sail with the Congress after the 2014 polls.
Mr. Jagan launched a frontal attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi, accusing her of dividing the State only to make her son Rahul Gandhi the prime minister by garnering more seats from A.P. “She is dividing the State for her son’s political future and playing with the future of our children,” he said amid applause.
Referring to the Centre’s decision to make Hyderabad the joint capital for 10 years, he wondered why Seemandhra people were being asked to leave after a decade. “Ms. Gandhi married late Rajiv Gandhi in 1969, took Indian citizenship 30 years ago in 1983. How will she respond if a Bill is introduced in Parliament asking the people born abroad to leave the country? This is the question being asked by the people who have an attachment with Hyderabad/Telangana since six decades,” he said.
In his 45-minute-long speech, Mr. Jagan dwelt at length on how Seemandhra region would suffer in irrigation, education, employment and lose its say in Hyderabad. He equated the party’s fight against bifurcation as a struggle between ‘Delhi’s arrogance’ and ‘Telugu self-respect.’ It was aimed at countering the Congress’ designs to weaken a strong State like Andhra Pradesh which accounts for third highest number (42) of Lok Sabha seats.
